Chocolate avocado mousse

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, why not indulge in a chocolaty dessert that wont bust your belt?

Avocado mousse (5 servings):

• 2 avocados
• 1/3 cup maple syrup or sweetener
• 1/4 cup milk or milk alternative
• 3 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup whipping cream or coconut cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Chocolate shell:

• 1/2 cup dark or milk chocolate (tempered)

Method – Avocado mousse:

1. In a food processor or efficient blender (I used my Breville Sous Chef), blend avocado, maple syrup, cocoa powder until smooth. Add milk until consistency is similar to that of a pudding. Place in fridge while you start on the cream.
2. Whip the cream with the vanilla extract until firm peaks. *If you are doing this by hand, place the bowl that you will use in the fridge to cool ahead of time; it’ll shorten the time whisking.
3. Fold 1/3 of the whipping cream into the avocado pudding. Then transfer that into the remaining whipping cream and fold. Test and add more sweetener if desired.
4. Place in molds. Here I used half sphere silicone molds. If you do not have silicone molds, you can use any mold, covering them with plastic wrap before adding your mousse to facilitate the removal once set.
5. Make sure to create a flat surface at the bottom and refrigerate for 4h. (Alternatively, gelatin, agar powder or chia powder could be added to help set).

Method – chocolate shell:

1. Make an ice cube with the silicone molds used for the mousse (preferably one day in advance).
2. Temper chocolate.
3. Create random motif of chocolate over ice cube in order to create a strong shell.
4. Remove excess on sides and repeat. Keep shells refrigerated and handle with care.

Finalization:

1. Unmold the mousse and top with shell.
2. Serve cold and enjoy.

You can alter this recipe by adding cocoa nibs or nuts in the mousse for something crunchy and unexpected.

This nutrition label corresponds to one mousse portion.